Actually, even though I was very happy to go, I almost backed out because the tour was from 7.30am - 3pm... pretty long and I had a friends gathering and family dinner later that day. However, Jerome & Juria had gone for the earlier tour and insisted that I had to do it since it was such a rare opportunity.
Due to its distant geographical locations and security concerns, very few people have even come close to, let alone visited these lighthouses. With Maritime Port Authority's {MPA} generous approval, SHF managed to organise this free tour for the public, but participants had to be 21 years and above, so Lil Pumpkin couldn't come along. The boy had work as well so I went for the tour alone... but no worries, as the rest of the group were very friendly. I saw a few familiar faces too from previous heritage walks.
Apart from the Raffles and Sultan Shoal lighthouses, three others are still in operation - Horsburgh lighthouse on Pedra Branca, Bedok lighthouse at Marina Parade Road, and Pulau Pisang lighthouse, which sits on Malaysian territory but is operated by Singapore.
Did you know that Singapore consists of 60 islands? Since Pulau Satumu is the southernmost offshore island away from mainland Singapore, we passed by many others such as Sisters' Island, Lazurus Island, St John's Island etc. I'll be going on another heritage tour in September to visit some of them.
Raffles Lighthouse was built in 1855 and was named after the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. The first light source used a wick burner but currently, it uses a rotating beacon comprising of an array of quartz halogen lamps in aluminium parabolic reflectors mounted on gearless revolving pedestal.
Here's something interesting.. Different lighthouses emit different number of flashes at different time periods. That's how sailors can identify them! Raffles Lighthouse emits 3 white flashes every 20 seconds. Also, there's no fixed time that lighthouses are switched on. There's a light sensor that can track how bright the sky is and automatically switches the lights on when it gets below a certain level.
Sani {pictured} was on duty and I got to learn more about the life of a lighthouse keeper from him. Apparently he doesn't have to go all the way up the lighthouse every day, only about 3 times a week. Phew! Because it really is quite a climb!
There's electricity on the island {duh!} and of course mobile signal {I think they mentioned Starhub is the strongest}. Food and water are delivered regularly to them. Their own family are not able to visit at will though, and still need special permission like us to land.
Oh, in case you were wondering, this state flag with the blue portion, different from our usual red and white flag, is used to represent government naval entities.
Sultan Shoal Lighthouse was built 40 years after Raffles Lighthouse, in 1895. It's used to guide boats in and out of the Straits of Malacca into the Western Anchorage of Singapore. As it is an unmanned lighthouse, we didn't even get to land on it's tiny island.. just sail past to take some photos. It looks much prettier because of its Victorian-style house at the bottom of the lighthouse.
It's fascinating to note that while Sultan Shoal island has not moved, it is now much closer to mainland Singapore because of the major reclamation works in Tuas South as well as the creation of the Jurong Island, which is linked to mainland Singapore with a bridge. Hence, Sultan Shoal doesn't seem as remote as Pulau Satumu.
This is the first time I've visited lighthouses so I was thoroughly thrilled with the heritage tour. Learnt so much during the trip about lighthouses and our maritime past. It really is a rare opportunity and I'm not sure if SHF will organise it again next year.
However, you can also keep a lookout during the annual Singapore Maritime Week {usually around April} on its Faceebook page. The Maritime Port Authority {MPA} has special tours for the public then but it's usually very competitive to get a slot too!
Tips:
- Bring along a cap, sunblock, umbrella, food, extra water and own medication. The organisers are not able to administer the distribution of medication; only first aid.
- Photography or filming of the red & white military towers at the lighthouses is strictly forbidden.
- As there's climbing of stairs, don't wear skirt or dresses for safety and modesty reasons.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes.
- Go to the restrooms before you board the ferry or at the lighthouse.
- For a more fulfilling experience, read up on the lighthouses before going on the tour. MPA staff are at hand to answer any questions.
Other Singapore heritage places:
12 comments:
This is really fascinating - I did not know Singapore had 60 islands (I would have said 9 if you'd asked) and I think the bit about the different flashes is really clever, and I did not know that. Your photos are lovely. It's a big day but it looks well worth it. Will tweet this post as I think it would be a really interesting thing to do for visitors with a bit of time in Singapore.
GORGEOUS. I didn't realize there were that many islands there and the lighthouses are so pretty!
That is a great fun fact about the lights. I didn't know they were different (and different for a reason). The pics are great, and the ones of you jumping are fun!
Lighthouses really are magical places aren't they. There is one where I come from that we would drive past every single day but have never been close enough to touch. You are very lucky.
Thanks for sharing. To think I never knew about it as a local. Definitely something for when Sophie is much older. Hopefully it will still be around when she's able to go in future.
Lydia: Not sure if it's open to overseas visitors but if it is, they would definitely have to plan wayyy in advance as it's not usually open to public and only during certain periods :)
Masshole Mommy: Yeah! Kinda interesting to find out heh
Mail4rosey: Thank you :)
Annaleis: Oh you're lucky to drive past one everyday too! Should make a trip up close if you can.
Susan: I think it should be. They are preserving them pretty well :P
Singapore would have to be one of my absolute favourite cities so I always love checking out your photos! I actually haven't been to the lighthouse - I'll definitely have to check it out next time I'm there! xxx
I love lighthouses. They are so fun to photograph. However, I have never been inside one, so I think it is so cool you got to!
I've never been to a lighthouse before. I live smack dab in the middle of the US. The Counting Crows wrote a song called "Omaha"; they've never even been here. The lyrics are, "Somewhere in the middle of America..." Anyhow, I've always wanted to visit a lighthouse.
You can probably guess by some of my Instagram photos that I love lighthouses and we're so blessed to live around some beautiful ones.
A lighthouse tour around Singapore would be so awesome! And those jumping shots are so cool!
See you in a couple of days, lovely! x
looks like a fun trip...it's rather long but a lot to see as well, I guess...I miss my home town Indonesia whenever i see all those lovely blue sea...
60 islands is a lot. The US doesn't have many.
I had to look it up: "Currently, the United States has sixteen territories, five of which are permanently inhabited: Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa." We don't even seem to help take care of Puerto Rico. :( If we own it, we should be helping them more!
I love light houses. I imagine where your light houses are they don't get icy like the ones that I visited do.
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